Into The Darkness
by doggieearlover
Summary: What happens when Kouga leaps into the black hole in Naraku's body? This short oneshot takes place immediately after Manga Chapter 461, Open Body, released 6.14.06.


Disclaimers: I do not own InuYasha or any of the anime/manga characters. They belong to the wonderful genius Rumiko Takahashi.

**This was written from Ashtari's LiveJournal meme challenge to me: _"Ummm...write me something fun with Kouga in it."_**

This takes place immediately after manga chapter 461, "Opened Body," released 6.14.06. In spite of the title, it is NOT a dark!fic.

**Into the Darkness**

The last thing he heard as he jumped was "STOP KOUGA-KUN!"

'Kagome…she worries too much. I am strong, I am a wolf, I am KOUGA,' the ookami prince thought as he jumped into the black hole that had been cut into Naraku's body by InuYasha's dragon-scale Tessaiga.

'I have to admit, though. I didn't think the mutt face could do it. He might have been able to inflict some real damage if Naraku had not dropped Kikyou. Stupid mutt – doesn't he know she's already dead? What would that fall have done to her? Oh, yeah, well I guess it could have broken that clay body up pretty good,' the wolf demon thought to himself.

He couldn't have stopped if he wanted to. His momentum was pretty strong when Kagome yelled at him to stop. However, Kouga was starting to realize that he was still falling. Where the hell was he? And just how big _was_ Naraku's body?

The wolf youkai was surprised to look down and realize his legs had an eerie glow to them. "Huh. That must be Midoriko's will purifying my jewel shards. Well, we are here Midoriko. What's the plan?" Kouga did not realize he had spoken out loud.

A ghostly apparition started to take form in front of him. He stood, more or less, where he was and watched in curiosity. Finally, when the form was almost solid and he realized it was taking on the form of a beautiful warrior priestess, he asked, "Am I dead? Who are you? And where am I?"

"Kouga, it was by my will that your jewel shards become purified in order to help defeat Naraku. You are not dead, but now trapped with me in his body," the apparition told him.

"So that must make you Midoriko. What the hell were you thinking? Why did you freeze my legs like that? I can't defeat Naraku if I can't move!" Kouga exclaimed.

"None of you are strong enough to defeat this monster. He is even more powerful than the one that was locked with me inside of the Shikon no Tama," the ghostly Midoriko stated.

"Hey, if you are locked in the jewel, how are you here?"

"Since Naraku has most of the jewel, he has nearly all of my body and soul as well. I exist in this form inside of him. I am not quite strong enough to overtake him yet. I need the shards in your legs as well as those that the young priestess carries and the one the boy has in his back. Actually, with yours we might be able to purify him enough to at least make him spit us out. It is nasty in this dark, vile place," Midoriko stated as she started to become even more solid in form, and was eyeing Kouga's legs.

"So, you think my shards might help get us out of here? Are you powerful enough to do that?" The ookami looked thoughtful as he asked her this. What did he have to lose? It stunk of dead and decaying flesh in here, and he wouldn't mind getting out into the fresh air again, even if that half-breed mutt was there. Even the scent of the dog was better than this.

"Yes. I think with your shards we can do it." Midoriko was now looking at him curiously.

"Tell me something." Kouga started. "Are you more powerful than Kagome?"

"You mean the young priestess? She is strong; but yes, I am stronger." Midoriko answered.

Kouga was staring at her and scratching his chin. "How about Kikyou? Do you have more spiritual energy than she does?"

"She is kept 'alive' by both a piece of Kagome's soul and a piece of my soul. So yes, I also have more spiritual energy than Kikyou does," the warrior priestess responded.

'Hum…this woman is really strong,' Kouga thought to himself, and then asked, "Can you see the shards of the Shikon no Tama?"

"See it! I AM it!" Midoriko exclaimed.

'WOW! Not ONLY is she powerful, she IS the Shikon no Tama!' Kouga thought.

"So, what do we need to do to get out of here?" Kouga questioned.

"Follow me. I will lead you to the rest of the jewel and then purify it along with those in your legs. We will see if that is enough to give Naraku a severe case of indigestion and make him spit us both out," the ancient miko stated rather matter-of-factly.

"You can do that without purifying me with him?" Kouga asked suspiciously.

"You still have your legs, do you not?" Midoriko quipped.

"Yeah, I guess I do. Lead the way."

Kouga started following the semi-solid body through the darkness until she halted. He watched in wonder as a small sphere that was almost complete except for a small chunk missing out of it started to glow. The wolf realized that Midoriko now had one hand reaching towards the increasingly bright jewel, and the other reaching towards his legs. Suddenly, Kouga found himself hurling through the air at a great speed as he was expelled from Naraku's body along with the nearly complete Shikon no Tama and the almost corporal body of Midoriko.

"Where the fuck did you come from!" InuYasha yelled at Kouga as they both tumbled head over heals. Kouga had been thrown right into the hanyou.

Suddenly, the pieces of the Sacred Jewel that Kagome had came flying though the air towards Midoriko as well as the shards from Kouga's legs. From somewhere, one lone fragment whizzed through the air to her at great speed and Midoriko fused the pieces of the jewel together into one. Naraku screamed as he was completely purified when she hurled the jewel at him and he caught it. He vanished as the jewel disappeared into a cloud of dust.

Kagome, InuYasha, Kikyou, Miroku, Sango, Kirara and Shippou all looked on in amazement as this happened. As Midoriko's body became real they heard Kouga announce as he pointed towards the renewed warrior priestess, "Sorry, Kagome, but I want you to meet MY WOMAN!"


End file.
